Museum Island

Establishment Purpose

• In Taiwan, shadow puppetry is a type of drama unique to Kaohsiung, and all surviving traditional shadow puppetry groups are based in Kaohsiung, making this traditional art form a valuable intangible cultural asset of Kaohsiung. Since shadow puppetry was brought to southern Taiwan from Chaozhou in mainland China over 300 years ago, Kaohsiung has become the center of its development in Taiwan. In the early 1970s, shadow puppetry began to decline and traditional shadow puppetry groups disappeared accordingly when traditional Chinese opera was affected by the rise of other forms of entertainment. In view of the importance of cultural asset preservation and folk art promotion, the government thus instructed the Council for Cultural Affairs to help plan, design and build the hardware and software of the Kaohsiung Museum of Shadow Puppetry. After five years of efforts, the museum started operations on March 13, 1994. Aiming to preserve and to promote shadow puppetry, apart from exhibition, education and archival, the Kaohsiung Museum of Shadow Puppet promotes and studies shadow puppetry. For example, it organizes important folk art training activities, promotes shadow puppetry to primary and secondary schools, provides shadow puppetry training for the public, and helps performing groups give performances on commission of the Ministry of Education. The museum also plans and organizes shadow puppetry performances regularly for the public to appreciate the wonderful and brilliant shadow puppetry performances at a closer distance. So far, only four shadow puppetry groups have survived. To accelerate the development and inheritance of shadow puppetry, and to enforce the promotion and sustainable development of folk arts, we need innovative modern thinking to attract the public to explore and understand traditional culture. This is also the mission of the Kaohsiung Museum of Shadow Puppetry. The museum building was badly damaged by typhoon Fanapi and reopened in March 2013 after restoration. Based on the design concept “Light and Shadow Interweave,” a unique appearance was designed. All interior functions have been re-planned and re-designed to emphasize the changes in interactive embodiment and visual effects. These functions covering six major areas include the Research Classroom, the Exhibition Area, the Reference Room, the Theater, the Digital Shadow Play Theater and the Experience Area. By exhibiting physical artefacts: puppets, musical instruments, lighting, and shadow windows and presenting the stage atmosphere: a bullock-cart stage used in the earlier time was planned individual in the Exhibition Area for visitors to experience the real yesteryear performance. Movable stages and family seats are designed in the innovative family theatre to display the unlimited possibility of shadow puppetry and shorten the contact with audiences. In addition, the “Puppet” theme store—“Shadow Puppet Store 1” is opened for “puppet” fans to purchase their beloved puppets for collection. In the future, the Kaohsiung Museum of Shadow Puppet will continue its mission to preserve and promote shadow puppetry in Taiwan, enhance guidance and exchange of performing groups, and collect artefacts and information in relation to shadow puppetry. The Kaohsiung Museum of Shadow Puppet will also maintain exchange with foreign shadow puppetry art groups, aiming to become the world’s best museum of shadow puppetry.

Department Introduction

This museum aims to preserve and maintain Taiwan’s historical and cultural assets to inherit, perform, archive and study shadow puppetry; enhance guidance and exchange for performing groups and constantly collect artifacts and information in relation to shadow puppetry in Taiwan; organize international exchange on shadow puppetry to turn the museum in the world’s best shadow puppetry data center and the attraction of worldwide visitors; engage in in-depth research of the development and inheritance of shadow puppetry in Taiwan and equip performing groups with innovation, marketing, and administration competencies to ensure the continuation of shadow puppetry and regain the popularity of shadow puppetry by integrating tradition and innovation for the public to value and cherish own ethnic culture; and promote the shadow puppetry education to children and foster campus shadow puppetry groups in Kaohsiung to preserve folklore culture for the sustainable development of shadow puppetry.

Audience Services and Facilities

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